AmericaOne Evens Score With Prada

AmericaOne has been plagued with spinnaker problems throughout the America’s Cup challenger final series in Auckland, New Zealand, but today it was smooth sailing by comparison as the U.S. vessel managed a nine-second victory over Prada of Italy to tie the best-of-nine America’s Cup challenger series, 3-3.

AmericaOne, once trailing 3-1, can take the lead in Thursday’s seventh race--and overcoming spinnaker problems seems as daunting as the Prada crew.

The spinnaker powers the boat when the wind comes from behind. But if it breaks, it can’t fill properly and billow out in front of the yacht. That’s when the crew must react quickly by changing it or using tactics to make the best of the mishap.

AmericaOne, looking on the bright side, has had plenty of practice.

It had spinnaker damage in four of the first five races against Prada. In 45 races since the trials began, AmericaOne damaged nine spinnakers.

“Obviously, what AmericaOne thinks is it’s the handling of the sail, otherwise they would have done something by now to change it,” said Tom Dodson, managing director of North Sails New Zealand. “They wouldn’t be silly enough to keep using faulty cloth.”

Like most of the other 10 syndicates that started the challenger competition last October, AmericaOne’s spinnakers are made of nylon. Prada is the only team using a special fiber made of spectra cloth and developed for Bill Koch’s successful America3 campaign in 1992 off San Diego.

Olympics

Ten cities, led by early favorite Beijing, submitted preliminary applications Tuesday with the International Olympic Committee to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The other applicants are: Bangkok, Thailand; Cairo Havana; Istanbul, Turkey; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Osaka, Japan; Paris; Seville, Spain; and Toronto.

Under new rules prompted by the IOC’s biggest corruption scandal, the cities will face a rigorous review to determine whether they meet the minimum requirements for staging the Olympics.

Cities passing that test will become official bidders. The winner will be selected by a secret IOC ballot in Moscow in July 2001 by the organization’s full membership.

Visits to candidate cities by IOC members have been banned in a move to prevent the payoffs, lavish gift giving and other improprieties that tarnished Salt Lake City’s winning campaign for the 2002 Winter Games and other recent Olympic bids.

As many as 14 cities had expressed interest in bidding for the 2008 Games. But Buenos Aires; Cape Town, South Africa; Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro dropped out.

College Sports

The point-shaving scheme that landed Kevin Pendergast in a federal prison began with illegal bribes to Northwestern basketball players. It ended with his cohort doing something legal--walking into a Las Vegas casino and placing bets on the fixed games.

“Without Nevada, without the option of betting money in Nevada, the Northwestern basketball point-shaving scandal would not have occurred,” Pendergast said.

Pendergast, 28, who spent two months in prison for his role in fixing three Big Ten basketball games in 1995, lent his story and his support to a bill introduced Tuesday that would ban betting on college sports.

“Sports gambling has become a black eye on too many of our colleges and universities,” said Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who is sponsoring the legislation with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

Nevada is the only state that allows widespread sports betting. The state’s gambling industry took in $2.3 billion in sports wagers in fiscal 1999, with 30% to 40% bet on college sports.

Leaders of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Assns. were among those joining Brownback and Leahy during a Washington news conference.

Nevada lawmakers and other gambling supporters criticized the proposed ban as misguided.

Longtime Brigham Young offensive coordinator Norm Chow has taken the same job at North Carolina State. Chow signed a three-year contract. Terms were not disclosed.

Chow spent 22 seasons at BYU, the last 15 as offensive coordinator.

Tennis

Anna Kournikova, seeking her first tournament title since 1996, defeated Anne-Gaelle Sidot of France, 6-3, 6-2, in the first round of the Pan Pacific Open at Tokyo.

If the seedings hold up, she would meet Australian Open runner-up Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals.

Alexandra Stevenson advanced when her opponent, Maria Antonia Sanchez, retired because of a back injury with Stevenson leading, 4-1, in the opening set.

Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport, who beat Hingis to win her first Australian Open title, skipped the tournament because of a left hamstring strain.

Miscellany

USC baseball Coach Mike Gillespie was named coach of the 2000 USA Baseball National Team that compete in the US West Red, White and Blue summer tour. Among his assistants will be USC pitching coach John Savage and Loyola Marymount Coach Frank Cruz.

Javier Alvarez, Colombia’s soccer coach, was fired two days after a 9-0 loss to Brazil’s Under-23 team. “Three days earlier we were gods and kings,” Alvarez said, referring a 5-1 win last week over Chile.

Australia’s Ian Thorpe scorched to victory in the 100- and 400-meter freestyle at a World Cup short course swim meet in Sheffield, England.

Thorpe, who is the world record holder for 200 and 400 long course and 200 short course, clocked 49.38 seconds to beat Americans Jarod Schroeder and Dan Phillips in the 100 final. Then he pulled away from Chad Carvin over the last two lengths to win the 400 in 3 minutes 40.94 seconds.

Undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was named winner of the Edward J. Neil Award, given to the top fighter each year by the Boxing Writers Assn. of America. Lewis unified the WBC and WBA titles by outpointing Evander Holyfield on Nov. 13 at Las Vegas.